Ore-concentrator belt.



P. H. CRAVEN.

ORE GONGENTRATOR BELT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 27, 1910;

Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTUR ATTORNEYS WITNESSES T' P. H. CRAVEN.

ORE CONCENTRATOR BELT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 27, 1910.

1,060,536. I Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

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ATTORNEYS COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH CQJVASmNGTON. D4 c,

Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

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INVENTUR S E S S E N H W COLUMBIA PLANoanAPH c0., WASHINGTON. D. C.

T -L STES PETER I-I. CRAVEN, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO P. H.CRAVEN MACHINERY COMPANY, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, A CORPORATION OFWASHINGTON.

Patented Apr. 29,1913.

Original application filed May 17, 1910, Serial No. 561,869. Divided andthis application filed September 27, 1910. Serial No. 584,018.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER H. CRAVEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Spokane, in the county of Spokane, State of Washington, haveinvented a new and useful Ore-Concentrator Belt, of which the followingis a specification.

In a prior application, Serial No. 561,869, filed by me 011 May 17 1910,I have shown and broadly claimed a novel construction of oreconcentrator, wherein the belt is constructed in such a manner that thesame is reversible and wherein, if desired, longitudinal riflles may beemployed, and in my present invention, which is a division of the abovenamed pending application, I have disclosed a novel construction ofconcentrator belt which is provided with riflles located on theconcentrator surface of the belt and extending at an angle to thelongitudinal travel of the belt.

My invention consists of a novel reversible concentrator belt.

My invention further consists of a novel construction of a concentratorbelt, wherein the sides of the belt are provided with longitudinallyextending reinforcements and with rifiles extending at an angle lessthan a right angle to the longitudinal travel of the belt.

In a prior pending application, Serial No. 561,868, filed May 17, 1910,for method of and apparatus for concentrating ores, I have described andbroadly claimed a novel method and apparatus for concentrating ores inconjunction with which my present type of concentrating belt isespecially adapted to be employed, although, as is evident, it is notlimited to use with such type of concentrating device but may beemployed to advantage in connection with many other types ofconcentrator mechanism.

It further consists of other novel features of construction, all as willbe hereinafter fully set forth.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown in theaccompanying drawings one form thereof which is at present preferred byme, since the same in practice will give satisfactory and advantageousresults, although it is to be understood that the variousinstrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variouslyarranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to theprecise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities asherein shown and described.

Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation of one type of concentratingapparatus, in conjunction with which a concentrator belt, embodying myinvention, is employed. Fig. 2 represents a plan View of an oreconcentrator belt embodying my invention. Fig. 3 represents a plan viewof the concentrating apparatus.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in thefigures.

Referring to the drawings: Referring to the ore concentrator seen inFig. l, as illustrating one type of an ore concentrating device, 1designates the supporting base on which are suitably mounted channelbeams 2, which latter carry the frame-work 3. The frame-work 3 isprovided with brackets 4:, said brackets on one side of the machinehaving pivoted thereto bars 5 of the frame-work, the opposite ends ofthe bars being provided with a bolt 6 which passes through a slot 7 insuch brackets, the height of the adjustable end of the bar being determined by means of the set screw 8 carried by the brackets 4 inproximity thereto.

9 designates a slatted belt provided with a plurality of sprocket chains10 which coact with sprocket wheels 11 suitably mounted in theframe-work of the machine. Each of the slats of the slatted belt, 9 ispreferably provided with a bracket 12 which coacts with a stationaryguide 13 to maintain the same in the proper horizontal plane on theupper stretch of the slatted belt and the guide 18 is adapted to engagethe underface of the bracket 12 on the return stretch of the belt toprevent undue sagging of the same. The ends of the slats on the highside of the slatted belt are preferably deflected upwardly, as indicatedat 1 1, while the opposite ends of the slats are preferably rounded, asindicated at 15.

16 designates my novel ore concentrator belt which passes over endrollers suitably j ournaled in the frame of the machine. Theconcentrator belt 16 is also loosely mounted on the slatted belt 9 andvthe longitudinal travel of the concentrator belt is caused by itsfrictional engagement with the slats of the slatted belt.

ted belt the lower edge of the concentrator belt, after passing over theend rollers, is deflected over such edge to form a vertical drippingedge, as will be clearly understood by reference to Fig. 1, and therewill be no drip as the belt approaches the pulley on which it ismounted, owing to the provision of rollers 21, which latter also preventthe wash water flowing over the side of the belt when the latter istraveling through a transversely and longitudinally inclined plane,

as will be clearly understood from the de scription of the operation ofthe concentrator.

22 designates a roller adjustably mounted in brackets 23, said rollerengaging the concentrator belt and preventing the same from becoming tooslack and also to give the same an upward inclination. The water issprayed from the conduit 24 in order to remove the concentrate from thebelt 16.

As most clearly seen in Fig. 2, my novel reversible concentrator belt 16consists of an endless belt formed of any suitable material. The sidesof the concentrator belt are provided with longitudinally extendingreinforcements 25 and 26, which, if desired, may be of the same width inorder that the belt may be readily reversed, so that the pulp and washwater will flow over either the longitudinally extending reinforcements25 or the longitudinally extending reinforcements 26. The reinforcements25 and 26 may be formed in any suitable manner, but in the presentinstance I have shown them as being formed by deflecting a portion ofthe outer edge of the belt upon itself and suitably securing the sametogether, whereby an additional thickness of material is formed at theouter edges of the belt, the same preferably being of uniform thicknessthroughout and of uniform width.

The concentrating surface of the belt is provided with a desired numberof riflies 27 which are angularly inclined at an angle less than a rightangle with respect to the longitudinal travel of the belt, as indicatedby the arrow 28. In order to illustrate one form of my invention, I haveshown the riflie 27 as extending preferably completely across theconcentrating surface of the belt from the reinforcements 26 to thereinforcements 25.

33 designates the driving shaft provided with a friction wheel 34cooperating with a friction disk 35 which drivesthe sprocket wheel 36with which cooperates a sprocket chain 37. Said chain 37 drives asprocket wheel 38 on a shaft 39 operatively connected with the shaft 40on which latter sprocket wheels 41 are mounted around which pass thesprocket chains 10.

The framework carrying the slotted belt 9 has six points of support asat 42, 43 and 44 on the upper side and 45, 46, and 47 on the lower side.The points of support 42, 43 and 44 maintain the upper side of the beltat a uniform height. The point of support 45 maintains the belt at suchpoint in a lower horizontal plane than at 42, 43 and The points ofsupport at 46 and 47 are of the same height but are in a lowerhorizontal plane than at 45. The result of this is that the belt travelsthrough the ore concentrating zone in a transversely inclined plane andthrough the ore washing Zone in a gradually diminishing transverselyinclined plane and a gradually increasing longitudinally inclined plane.

The belt may be constructed of any suitable material and is ordinarilyconstructed of a desired fabric, such as, for example, canvas, but iffor any reason, such as the rapid deterioration of the canvas, owing tothe action of the acid water flowing across the belt, this belt may bemade of an acidresisting material, such as rubber or of a composition.In this event, to get the same surface on a rubber or composition beltas is obtained on canvas, it would be necessary to resort to rifiling,and in the present instance, I have preferred to show the rifliing asextending angularly to the direction of travel of the belt.

In the operation, the pulp or ore passes to the belt from thedistributer box 17 in the direction of the arrow 29, flows transverselyacross the belt until it comes in contact with the flow of wash waterwhich is fed to the belt, in a direction reverse to the forward travelof the belt, as indicated by arrow 30, so that when it reaches apredetermined point, as 31, the wash water will come in contact with thepulp and ore and the flow of wash water will converge with the pulpwater along the diagonally extending line 32, it being understood thatthe water, together with the wash from the ore, passes over the lowerreinforcement 25. After the belt passes over the rollers 21, it comesinto engagement with the slatted endless belt which forms the supportingmeans for the same, the outer portion of the longitudinally extendingreinforcement or riffle 25 extending over the ends of the slats, asindicated in Fig. 1, and forming a dripping edge, so that the drip wateris not carried back by capillary means into the working parts of themachine.

The construction shown in Fig. 1 operates in the same manner as that ofmy co-pending application for method and apparatus for concentratingores to which I have hereinbefore referred, the machine beingconstructed in such a manner that the concentrating belt during itspassage through the ore dressing zone will travel in a trans verselyinclined plane and then into the ore washing zone, during which time itwill pass through a transversely and longitudinally inclined plane, theline 32 indicating the dividing line between the two zones.

The reinforcements 25 and 26 serve to stiifen the belt and retain thesame in proper alinement, but in some cases other means may be employedfor this purpose, and one or both of these reinforcements may bedispensed with, without departing from my invention.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and usefulconstruction of an ore concentrator belt which embodies the features ofadvantage enumerated as desir able in the statement of the invention andthe above description, and while I have, in

centrat-ing surface and extending at an angle less than a right angle tothe longitudinal axis of the belt, and means for supporting the belt tocause its travel through the ore concentrating zone to be in a planehaving only transverse inclination and through the ore washing zone tobe in a plane decreasing transversely and increasing longitudinally.

2. In an ore concentrator, a belt having at its edges longitudinallyextending reinforcements and provided on its concentrating surface withrifiies extending from one reinforcement to the other at an acute angleto the longitudinal axis of the belt, and means for supporting the beltto cause its travel through the ore concentrating zone to be in a planehaving only a transverse inclination and through the ore washing zone ina plane having both transverse and longitudinal inclinations.

8. In an ore concentrator, a belt having the concentrator surface at themarginal edges provided with raised portions of substantially uniformwidth and thickness throughout the length of the belt and provided withriflies extending at an'acute angle to the longitudinal axis of thebelt, and means for supporting the belt to cause its travel through theore concentrating zone to be in a plane having only transverseinclination and through the ore washing zone in a plane having bothtransverse and longitudinal inclinat-ions.

PETER H. CRAVEN.

Witnesses WVADE HAMPTON, J. S. HARRISON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

